This invention pertains to pizza and, more particularly, to an automatic process and system for producing pizza.
Pizza is a very popular food in the United States and elsewhere. Pizzas are typically individually prepared and sold in pizza restaurants or pizzerias. Making pizzas is very labor intensive. In larger pizza restaurants, one person kneads, rolls, twirls, spins and cuts the dough to prepare pizza crust. Another person grates the cheese, slices the sausage or pepperoni and other pizza toppings, and individually places the toppings on the pizza with their fingers. The pizza is carried to the cook who places the pizza in the oven with a shovel or giant spatula. After the pizza is completely cooked in the oven, the pizza is removed by the cook with the shovel or spatula and manually sliced with a knife or a pizza cutter comprising a circular blade or table disc with a sharp edge. The sliced pizza is then manually placed on a plate or in a cardboard box for carry-out. A waiter or waiters will carry the pizza to the customer. The customer typically pays for the pizza at a cashier.
The number of people associated with making pizza in restaurants greatly increases the costs of the pizza. Labor costs associated with preparing and delivering pizzas include: wages, medical benefits, vacation benefits, holiday pay, sick pay, health insurance, automobile insurance for deliveries, and workmen compensation claims. Other labor costs include the costs and time for hiring and training new personnel.
While pizza restaurants are very popular, they are often placed in remote locations, which are not readily accessible or close to offices, college dormitories, schools, motels, hotels, etc. Furthermore, because the employees of pizza restaurants usually work 8-10 hours per day, pizza restaurants are only open for limited times, i.e., 8-10 hours per day. Many pizza restaurants are only open 5 to 6 days per week. Students and guests at motels who get hungry for pizza late at night are usually unable to satisfactorily obtain a pizza at nearby locations.
Pre-made frozen pizzas are available, but they have to be stored in a freezer and subsequently thawed and cooked in a microwave oven or a kitchen oven. Freezers and ovens are not always available to students, motel guests, office workers, etc. Furthermore, many customers do not care for the taste of frozen pizza and prefer freshly made pizza.
It is, therefore, desirable to provide an improved process and system for preparing and providing pizza, which overcomes most, if not all, of the preceding problems.